Aid Dependence in Cambodia: How Foreign Assistance Undermines Democracy

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By Sophal Ear *97

Published Jan. 21, 2016

(Columbia University Press) The author examines the relationship between aid dependence and governance. Cambodia has depended on foreign aid and intervention for about two decades, yet maternal mortality and inequality have increased and corruption remains entrenched in the political system. Ear offers ideas on how Cambodia can move forward through better ownership of its development. Ear is from Cambodia and became a refugee when very young. Today he is an assistant professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, and he has worked for the World Bank and the United Nations.

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PAW's July/August 2025 issue cover, featuring a photo of people dressed in orange and black, marching in the P-rade, and the headline: Reunions, Back in Orange & Black.
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